Published

NHTSA Issues Brake Line Advisory for Pre-2008 Vehicles

Owners of pre-2008-era cars, pickup trucks and SUVs should periodically wash the underside of their vehicles to avoid salt buildup that could cause a brake line leak and brake system failure, says the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
#regulations

Share

Owners of pre-2008-era cars, pickup trucks and SUVs should periodically wash the underside of their vehicles to avoid salt buildup that could cause a brake line leak and brake system failure, says the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The advice comes the day after NHTSA closed a four-year investigation into complaints about brake line failures in General Motors Co. trucks and SUVs made between 1999 and 2003. The agency's conclusion: All vehicles of that era face the same potential problem if their zinc-aluminum-coated steel brake lines aren't rinsed off from time to time.

Not surprisingly, NHTSA says the chances of a brake line leak go up as the vehicle gets older. The likelihood of a problem also is higher for vehicles used in northern climates where winter road salt can accumulate on the lines.

The agency notes that carmakers began switching in the late 1990s to more corrosion-resistant plastic-coated steel brake lines.

RELATED CONTENT

  • Feds Probe Another Tesla Crash Involving Autopilot Feature

    Federal investigators are looking into another crash involving a Tesla Model S electric sedan that was operating in semi-autonomous mode.

  • Rage Against the Machine

    There have been more than 20 reported attacks against Waymo’s self-driving fleet in Chandler, Ariz., since the company began testing the technology on public roads there two years ago.

  • Porsche Racing to the Future

    Porsche is part of VW Group and it is one of the companies that is involved in putting vehicles on the U.S. market with diesel engines in violation of EPA emissions regulations, specifically model year 2013–2016 Porsche Cayenne Diesel 3.0-liter V6 models.

Gardner Business Media - Strategic Business Solutions